CN116963314B - Cooperative multicast method, electronic equipment and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the present invention relates to the field of data communication technology, and discloses a cooperative multicast method, electronic device and storage medium. In the present invention, the multi-AP cooperation group includes at least one multi-connection device or an AP attached to the multi-connection device as an access point in the multi-AP cooperation group, and the multi-AP cooperation group except the master All other access points are slave access points. In the embodiment of the present invention, a service AP group is established; reselection signaling is sent to the slave access point for access by the slave that has received the reselection signaling. Click to join the service AP group. By establishing a business AP group and having the master access point send signaling, all access points in the group can communicate and collaborate normally based on the signaling, and the selection of slave access points to join realizes the formation of a multi-AP collaboration group. Select the internal access point.

Description

A collaborative multicast method, electronic device and storage medium

Technical field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of data communication technology, and in particular to a cooperative multicast method, electronic equipment and storage media.

Background technique

In the latest Wi-Fi7 standard [802.11be Draft 3.1], the new feature of multi-connection device (MLD) is described. The unicast service indication for a Multi-Link Device (MLD) is specific to each connection of the device and is represented by the subfield corresponding to the Link ID of each connection. Specifically, the Multi-linkTraffic Indication Element is introduced, in which information specific to the Link ID is added to indicate whether there is a cache service on the connection of a certain multi-connection device.

On the other hand, the Wi-Fi7 standard [802.11be Draft 3.1] also has some designs for multicast of multiple connected devices.

In the design of the latest next-generation Wi-Fi, namely Wi-Fi8 802.11bn, the discussion of multiple AP collaboration (Coordinated Access Point, C-AP for short) is quite intense. Multiple AP collaboration is involved in the formulation process of the Wi-Fi 7 standard. Due to the amount of discussion tasks and discussion time limit, it was postponed to Wi-Fi 8. The collaboration of multiple APs meets the requirements of low latency and high reliability in Wi-Fi 8, so it has aroused the interest of most manufacturers, and the popularity continues. In a C-AP scenario, the multi-AP collaboration group (C-AP group) works in master-slave mode (also called master-slave mode).

The inventor found that there are at least the following problems in the related technology:

In the context of multi-AP collaboration, in the design of Wi-Fi8 802.11bn, due to different design goals, some existing features of group addressed frames (group addressed frames) of multi-connected devices under the Wi-Fi7 standard cannot work properly. It needs to be redesigned. One of them is how to create a new AP group by reselecting APs among the member APs in the multi-AP collaboration group based on multi-connection devices, and use the selected AP to process the corresponding services. The reason for reselection may be service changes, AP status changes, or serving terminals with different capabilities, etc.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a collaborative multicast method, electronic device and storage medium, so that in the context of multi-AP collaboration and on the basis of multi-connection devices, at least one member AP of the multi-AP collaboration group is selected to establish New AP group, use the new AP group to process services.

In order to solve the above technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a cooperative multicast method, which is applied to the master access point in a multi-AP cooperation group. The multi-AP cooperation group includes at least one multi-connection device or an accessory. The AP in the multi-connection device serves as an access point in the multi-AP cooperation group, and all the multi-AP cooperation groups except the master access point are slave access points. The method includes: establishing Service AP group; sending reselection signaling to the slave access point so that the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling joins the service AP group; wherein only the slave access point that joins the service AP group Only the access points of the group can process the services corresponding to the service AP group.

An embodiment of the present invention also provides an electronic device, including: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores information that can be executed by the at least one processor. instructions, which are executed by the at least one processor, so that the at least one processor can execute the above cooperative multicast method.

An embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the above cooperative multicast method is implemented.

The embodiment of the present invention is applied to a multi-AP cooperation group. The multi-AP cooperation group includes at least one multi-connection device, or an AP attached to the multi-connection device, as an access point in the multi-AP cooperation group, and the multi-AP cooperation group Except for the master access point, all are slave access points. In the embodiment of the present invention, a service AP group is established; reselection signaling is sent to the slave access point for the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling. The access point joins the service AP group. By establishing a business AP group, signaling is sent by the master access point through the business AP group, so that all access points in the group can communicate and collaborate normally based on the signaling, and the selection of slave access points can be added to achieve multiple functions. Select the access point in the AP collaboration group.

In addition, establishing the service AP group includes: after receiving trigger signaling from any slave access point, sending response signaling corresponding to the trigger signaling to the slave access point, and Establish the service AP group according to the trigger parameter information carried in the trigger signaling, or when any of the slave access points needs to establish the service AP group through unsolicited monitoring, report to that slave access point. The slave node sends response signaling and establishes the service AP group according to the pre-stored trigger parameter information. It provides two ways to establish service AP groups. Whether it is a master access point or a slave access point that needs to establish a service group, it can be established in a timely manner according to the business to be processed, improving the overall work efficiency.

In addition, sending reselection signaling to the slave access point so that the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling joins the service AP group includes: broadcasting to all The slave access point sends the reselection signaling, and the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling joins the service AP group after confirming that its global parameter information meets the conditions for joining the service AP group. The service AP group, or the slave access points that meet the conditions for joining the service AP group are confirmed based on the stored relevant parameter information of all slave access points, and the slave access points that meet the conditions for joining the service AP group are The slave access point sends the reselection signaling so that the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling directly joins the service AP group; wherein, the conditions for joining the service AP group It will be formulated based on business requirements, which include one or any combination of the following: required AP idleness, required AP support for business QoS, and required queue size in the AP buffer. Both of the two different reselection signaling sending methods allow the access point to join the AP group based on its own conditions, ensuring security while optimizing resource allocation. Combined with the business layout, when multiple services are running simultaneously The overall running speed is improved when the situation arises.

In addition, the relevant parameter information of all slave access points will be updated through periodic reporting by the slave access points; the global parameter information at least includes: whether to be attached to the multi-connection device, and when to be attached to the multi-connection device. In the case of multi-connection devices, the MAC address of the multi-connection device, the queue size in the current AP buffer, and the current AP idleness level. Periodic updates of information and timely feedback of information also indirectly increase the speed of sharing information on the terminal side.

In addition, the service AP group has a life span. When the service corresponding to the service AP group ends, or when the access point in the service AP group receives a disbandment command, the service AP group is disbanded. Setting the life span for the business AP group reduces resource occupation and improves resource utilization.

In addition, after the slave access point that has received the reselection signaling joins the service AP group, it generates a service AP group ID corresponding to the service AP group as an identifier of the service AP group, so as to Save the slave access point in the service AP group; save the service AP group ID locally; wherein, when the slave access point in the service AP group is affiliated to the multiple If the AP of the connected device is connected, the service AP group ID will be saved to the corresponding multi-connected device. The emergence of business IDs better improves the efficiency of information transmission and reduces the process of data source analysis and repeated sending of request signaling caused by inquiring about data sources.

In addition, after the master access point is selected, after receiving a multicast management frame assistance transmission request from the slave access point, select some access points from the access points in the multi-AP cooperation group. Becoming an assisting access point, the assisting access point will assist the slave access point that sends the multicast management frame assistance transmission request to transmit the multicast management frame. In the case of multiple connections, the transmission method of management frames is improved, improving the reliability and efficiency of the transmission method.

In addition, the source address of the multi-connection device is set to the MAC address of the main control access point; when the terminal associated with the AP attached to the multi-connection device receives the MAC address for the multi-connection device within a preset time, When the source address is the multicast frame of the MAC address of the master control access point, and the terminal itself has the capability and has been associated with the multi-AP cooperation group, then the multicast frame received by the terminal Filter out the corresponding protocol data unit, otherwise, discard the multicast frame. This solves the problem of how some terminals that have the ability to filter certain protocol data units can operate normally under multiple connections, allowing terminals to filter protocol data units in a targeted manner.

Description of the drawings

One or more embodiments are exemplified by the pictures in the corresponding drawings. These illustrative illustrations do not constitute limitations to the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are represented as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not intended to be limited to scale.

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-AP collaboration group according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a C-AP group including APs attached to an MLD according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the interaction between the C-AP group, MLD and terminal multicast content according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a flow chart of a cooperative multicast method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a C-AP group, MLD and affiliated APs according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the establishment process of a multicast management frame cooperative AP according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, each implementation mode of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that in various embodiments of the present invention, many technical details are provided to enable readers to better understand the present application. However, even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments, the technical solution claimed in this application can also be implemented. The division of the following embodiments is for convenience of description and should not constitute any limitation on the specific implementation of the present invention. The various embodiments can be combined with each other and quoted from each other on the premise that there is no contradiction.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a cooperative multicast method, which can be applied to a master access point in a multi-AP cooperation group, such as a multi-connection device, an AP affiliated to a multi-connection device, or an AP not affiliated to a multi-connection device. . The multi-AP cooperation group in this embodiment includes at least one multi-connection device or an AP attached to the multi-connection device as an access point in the multi-AP cooperation group, and all the multi-AP cooperation groups except the master access point are In the embodiment of the present invention, the slave access point establishes a service AP group and sends reselection signaling to the slave access point, so that the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling joins the service AP group. By establishing a business AP group, signaling is sent by the master access point through the business AP group, so that all access points in the group can communicate and collaborate normally based on the signaling, and the selection of slave access points can be added to achieve multiple functions. Select the access point in the AP collaboration group.

The implementation details of the cooperative multicast method of this embodiment are described in detail below. The following content is only provided for the convenience of understanding and is not necessary for implementation of this solution.

This application is applicable to multi-AP collaboration groups, as shown in Figure 1. The multi-AP collaboration group in the figure consists of three access points. The circular dotted box in the figure indicates that the three access points cooperate in the same multi-AP In the group, access point 3 is the master access point (it can also be called group head AP, or master AP, or C-AP group head), and access points 1 and 2 are slave access points. The access point in the multi-AP cooperation group of this application can be a multi-connection device or an AP attached to the multi-connection device or an AP not attached to the multi-connection device, that is, each access point in Figure 1 can Is a multi-connectivity device or an AP attached to a multi-connectivity device or an AP not attached to a multi-connectivity device. The case where the slave access point is an AP attached to a multi-connectivity device will be discussed in Figure 2. , the figure uses common drawing techniques in this field. The square dotted box contains an MLD and its affiliated APs. The circular dotted box indicates that the internal access points are in the same multi-AP cooperation group. The bidirectional arrows represent multicast. Frame feasible communication path. Compared with the communication path connected by dotted lines, the communication path connected by solid lines is in the group and communicates with the master access point or transmits data through a wired connection. Therefore, There is no need to add too much security verification when transmitting data. The same principle will not be elaborated below. If you want to build a multi-AP collaboration group as shown in Figure 2, you need to set the address of the multicast frame appropriately.

The transmission method of multicast frame (multicast content) is shown in Figure 3. During the transmission process of a multicast frame, the MAC header part contains the following four MAC addresses that need to be set, namely: destination address DA ( Destination Address), source address SA (Source Address), receiver address RA (ReceiverAddress), sender address TA (Transmitter Address), when the situation in Figure 2 occurs, at least one AP attached to the multi-connection device (MLD) (or some APs), this (or these) APs become members of the C-AP group. However, there is at least one AP attached to the MLD that has not become a member of the C-AP group. In this case, the master access point (C-AP group head) controls the range of multicast, that is, it controls the non-MLD affiliated APs and MLD and its affiliated APs that can send multicast. At this time, the MAC address of the master access point (C-AP group head MAC address) is directly used as the SA address of the multicast frame, that is, SA: C-AP group head MAC address.

When the MAC addresses of all access points attached to the MLD are visible to the group head AP, the MLD forwards the multicast content from the group head AP. At this time, the relevant addresses of the multicast frames forwarded by the MLD are set as follows: SA (SourceAddress) is the MAC address of the group head AP, and TA (Transmitter Address) is the MAC address of access point 2 attached to the MLD. The above settings are the settings for the multicast frame received by terminal 1 associated with access point 2. If terminal 1 receives a multicast frame whose SA is the MAC address of the C-AP group head at the specified time, the terminal itself has The capability is associated with a C-AP group and has been associated with the C-AP group. Then terminal 1 further processes the received multicast frame. Otherwise, the terminal discards the multicast frame. In this example, MLD transparently forwards the multicast frames of the group head AP and does not change the SA address of the multicast data frame. The advantage is reduced latency.

In one example, when terminal 1 in Figure 3 is replaced by a non-access point multi-connection device (non-APMLD), in order to ensure high reliability, the data frame can be transmitted on all enabled connections of the terminal. transmission even if some of the APs attached to the MLD are not access points in the C-AP group. Correspondingly, in one example, when terminal 1 is a non-AP MLD, data frames cannot be flexibly scheduled across connections. Data frames can only be transmitted on the enabled connection it owns. The AP corresponding to the enabled connection is attached to the MLD. And he is also a member of C-AP. The advantage is that the integrity and security of the C-AP group are guaranteed. In addition to these two extreme examples, the MAC address of the C-AP member access point that is only attached to the MLD can also be visible to the group head AP. At this time, the MLD in Figure 3 transparently forwards the multicast of the group head AP. content. Which affiliated AP(s) the multicast frame should be forwarded to is determined by the affiliated AP, or the affiliated AP can also discard the frame. Similarly, when forwarding to the AP attached to the MLD, there are solutions to transmit across enabled connections, and solutions that cannot transmit across enabled connections. At this time, the SA address needs to be consistent with the C-AP group head. At this time, when the C-AP group head is an AP and when the C-AP multicasts, the SA is the MAC address of the group head AP. When the C-AP group head is an MLD, and when C-AP multicasts, the SA is the MAC address of the group head MLD. When the C-AP group head is an AP attached to the MLD, and when the C-AP multicasts, the SA is the MAC address of the group head AP attached to the MLD. This benefit is a compromise between security and low latency. The multicast filtering of the group head AP is placed on the AP directly associated with the terminal. In addition, there is another way to make the MAC addresses of all access point APs attached to the MLD invisible to the C-AP group head. At this time, the MLD in Figure 3 parses the multicast content of the group head and determines whether the multicast frame needs to be To which AP(s) it is forwarded to. Similarly, when forwarding to the AP attached to the MLD, there are solutions to transmit across enabled connections, and solutions that cannot transmit across enabled connections. It is similar to the above-mentioned embodiment and will not be described again. At this time, the group head AP sends the multicast content to the MLD, and the SA is the MAC address of the group head AP. The SA of the multicast frame received from the MLD by the terminal associated with the MLD is the MAC address of the grouphead AP. The SA of the multicast frame received from the MLD by the terminal associated with the MLD is the MAC address of the associated MDLAP. The advantage of this solution is that it ensures security, and MLD performs a verification on the data of the group addressed AP.

In Figure 3 introduced above and its simple transformation (the case of adding access points), the master access point is an AP. In fact, the master access point may also be an MLD or an AP attached to the MLD. Let's discuss it first. When the master access point is MLD, MLD is also called AP MLD. When the MLD device is a C-AP group head, and at least one of its affiliated APs has joined the C-AP group, then the C-AP group The head MAC address is the MAC address of the AP MLD. If at least one AP to which this MLD is attached is a C-AP group member and receives a multicast data frame from a non-AP MLD associated with the AP MLD, and the AP MLD wants to schedule the transmission of the multicast data frame, in In this case, the SA field of the multicast frame is the MAC address of the non-AP MLD.

The multicast scope is the terminals associated with all APs in the C-AP group. Multicast is oriented to some or all terminals associated with the C-AP Group, and is completed by some or all APs specified in the C-AP group. The multicast scope is the terminals associated with some APs specified in the C-APgroup. Before the AP MLD initiates multicast scheduling, a multicast data frame from the non-AP MLD is received. The non-AP MLD can request a multicast range while transmitting multicast frames to the AP MLD. The multicast range information is included in the multicast frames transmitted by the non-AP MLD: for example, 00 indicates that all of the AP MLD Associated terminal; 01 indicates a terminal associated with both AP MLD and C-AP group. 10 indicates a terminal that is associated with the AP MLD and is not associated with the C-AP group.

Next, we will discuss the situation when the master access point is an AP affiliated with MLD. When at least one AP affiliated with MLD has joined the C-AP group, and one of these APs is determined to be the C-AP group head. , then the MAC address of the C-APgroup head is the MAC address of the AP MLD.

Regardless of the above situation of the master access point, when at least one AP attached to an AP MLD is a member of the C-AP group and receives a multicast data frame from a non-AP MLD associated with the AP MLD, and the When the AP MLD wants to schedule the transmission of the multicast data frame, if the non-AP MLD does not have C-AP capabilities, or the non-AP MLD has C-AP capabilities but is not connected to the C-AP group, the multicast range It is a terminal that is not connected to the C-AP group, or a terminal associated with an AP that is affiliated with the AP MLD and is not connected to the C-AP group; if the non-AP MLD has C-AP capabilities and has been connected to the C-AP group Then the multicast scope is all terminals attached to the AP MLD, or terminals associated with the AP attached to the AP MLD and connected to the C-AP group.

After completing the above multicast address settings, the problem that the terminals associated with the current AP MLD and the terminals associated with the C-AP group will cause confusion in the understanding of multicast frames has been solved, and the C-AP group has been established and C-AP group has been established. The members of the AP must at least include MLD or APs affiliated with MLD. Next, we will analyze how to implement member AP reselection in the C-AP group, that is, when multicasting at least some of the associated terminals in a C-AP group. , how to efficiently and highly reliably transmit multicast content among group members?

As shown in Figure 4, in step 401, the master access point establishes a service AP group (a C-AP group, which can be called a new C-AP group, or AP list); the service AP group is a This is a way to specify the multicast range. The process of determining the cooperating AP is actually the process of selecting the member APs of the C-AP group. In many cases, not all member APs in the C-AP group support processing of some services, and it is necessary to select the member APs in the C-AP group. At this time, the service AP group is only in the creation process and has not yet entered the member joining step.

In one example, the service AP group (AP list) has a life span. When the service corresponding to the service AP group ends, or when the access point in the service AP group receives a disbandment command, the service AP group is disbanded. The newly formed AP list is automatically disbanded after sending the prescribed services. You can also send a disband command through the group head to disband the AP list. When the AP on the list receives the disbandment command within a certain period of time, and no new services appear for the AP on the list, the AP list is deleted. Otherwise, the AP list will be disbanded or deleted after a certain period of time from the current last service end time. In some embodiments, the newly formed AP list has no lifetime. It can only be established or disbanded through the group head AP.

Before establishing a service AP group, the service AP group ID (list ID, or group ID) corresponding to the service AP group can be generated as the identifier of the service AP group for the slave access points in the service AP group to save; and the service The AP group ID (list ID) is saved locally; when the slave access point in the service AP group is also an AP attached to a multi-connection device, the service AP group ID will be saved to the corresponding multi-connection device (MLD) middle.

In one example, the service AP group can be established in the following way: after receiving the trigger signaling from any slave access point, the master access point sends trigger signaling (also called triggering) to the slave access point. frame) corresponding response signaling (also called response frame), and establish a service AP group based on the trigger parameter information carried in the trigger signaling, that is, the trigger signaling is initiated by a member AP, or member AP MLD, and sent To the group head AP, the master access point will send response signaling to the AP or AP MLD that initiated the trigger signaling. The group head AP then performs the next step of processing (that is, entering step 402).

Combined with the above example, if the business AP has a life time function, the trigger parameter information of the trigger frame at this time at least contains whether the list has a life time attribute. If a specific value is given (if not, it will be unlimited time, list can only be dissolved). Trigger parameters can also include: list ID (or group ID of the new AP group), supported business conditions (QoS priority), current buffer size (Buffer queue size), current C-AP group ID, etc. In addition, because an AP/AP MLD may belong to multiple C-AP groups, the trigger parameter information may also include parameter requirements for the reselected AP. The response frame indicates that the group head AP has received AP reselection trigger signaling or AP reselection request signaling and is about to enter step 402. In the same way as the trigger frame, if the service AP has the life time function, the response frame at least contains the life time attribute of the list. If a specific value is given, the parameter information of the response frame can also include: listID (or new AP group group ID), supported service status (QoS priority), current buffer size (Bufferqueue size), current C-AP group ID, etc.; or the response frame can also only contain a list ID to indicate that the grouphead has received the reload. Select the request and you will enter step 402. The master access point can immediately send response signaling to the requesting AP/AP MLD after receiving the trigger signaling; or after the list is established, send response signaling to the requesting AP/AP MLD; if the establishment is unsuccessful, send a negative answer. The response signaling at this time is the same response signaling as the response signaling sent by the master access point in the above embodiment to respond to whether the slave access point service AP group is successfully established.

In addition to the above, service AP groups can also be established in many different ways. The following will give another way to establish a service AP group: the master access point monitors any slave through unsolicited mode. When the access point needs to establish a service AP group, it sends response signaling to the slave access point, and establishes the service AP group according to the pre-stored trigger parameter information. It can be understood that the trigger signaling is initiated by the master access point itself, and is directly processed by the group head AP. For example, the group head AP notices that the high-reliability services of a certain AP may need to be coordinated, and then sends a response frame without requesting/triggering reselection for the next step (that is, entering step 402).

In step 402, the master access point sends reselection signaling to the slave access point so that the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling joins the service AP group.

There are many ways to perform reselection, for example: the master access point sends reselection signaling to all slave access points through broadcast (reselection signaling can include parameters such as list ID, QoS requirements, expected service duration, etc.), After receiving the reselection signaling, the slave access point confirms that its relevant parameter information meets the conditions for joining the service AP group. If the member AP meets the requirements, it will respond and join the list. Otherwise do not join. Finally, the C-AP group head responds to the request to see if the AP reselection list is successfully established. There is another way to reselect. The reselection is completed in the C-AP group head, because the C-AP grouphead contains statistical information about group members. Therefore, you only need to determine the member APs of the list based on the statistical information of each member AP in the C-AP and the requirements of the new list to be established. Finally, the C-AP group head sends reselection signaling to the selected slave access point that meets the conditions for joining the service AP group, so that the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling can directly join the service AP group. The conditions will be formulated based on business requirements, which can be: the required AP idleness, the required AP QoS support, the required queue size in the AP buffer, etc.

In one example, the stored relevant parameter information of all slave access points will be updated through periodic reporting by the slave access point; the relevant parameter information at least includes: whether to be attached to a multi-connection device, when to be attached to a multi-connection device The MAC address of the multi-connected device, the queue size in the current AP buffer, and the current AP idleness level.

In some implementations, the master control node sends reselection signaling based on the current multi-AP cooperation group (or as a blueprint) to delete certain member APs to form a new AP cooperation group. Create a new collaboration group based on the existing collaboration group, and the new C-APgroup inherits the parameters and other contents of the current collaboration group. In some embodiments, whether a new collaboration group is created by inheriting an existing collaboration group or creating a new collaboration group is identified by 1 bit, which is included in the collaboration group creation request frame (or request signaling) and is also included in the collaboration group creation request frame (or request signaling). Group creation response frame (or response signaling). This bit indicates whether to inherit the creation of a new AP group. 1 indicates that the creation is inherited, and 0 indicates that the creation is not inherited. The inheritance creation method reuses existing parameters and reduces signaling overhead. The non-inherited creation method is more flexible.

In some instances, the process of requesting to establish a new service AP group is a process of C-AP reconfiguration or a process of reselection of member APs. When the new AP group is established, the group head AP sends confirmation signaling to each member AP to confirm that the new AP group is established. In some embodiments, when an AP is deleted, the C-AP group head sends a tear out frame (including the group ID) of the C-AP group to the AP. When the AP receives the tear out frame, it sends a response frame and leaves the C-AP group. In some embodiments, when the new AP is established, the existing C-APgroup is deleted by default. When the member AP receives the new AP group establishment completion confirmation signaling, it deletes the original existing C-AP group information and completes the replacement of the original C-AP group with the new AP group. At the same time, the C-AP group ID remains unchanged. In some embodiments, the new AP group establishment completion signaling clearly indicates whether the member AP deletes the original AP group information. When the member AP receives the new AP group establishment completion confirmation signaling, 1 bit indicates, 1 means deleting the original C-AP group information, 0 means not deleting the original C-AP group information.

It is worth noting that the above-mentioned re-selection of member APs in the C-AP group is not limited to multicast services. Other services can also trigger the re-selection of member APs in the C-AP group.

The multiple access points in the C-AP group in this application can be multiple different MLDs, and the multiple different MLDs can be indicated (advertise) by an AP attached to one of the AP MLDs. The multicast service status of the AP for this AP MLD, that is, "whether AP(s) affiliated AP MLD has buffered groupaddressed frames". In the context of C-AP group, if you want to conduct business promotion, you need to consider the situation of C-AP group member APs and the situation of non-C-AP group member APs. At the same time, these APs may be attached to AP MLD.

There are many ways to share business information, which can be: the master access point proactively probes member APs, and then the member information is fed back. The group head collects business information and packages it to the advertising access point (advertising AP). At this time, the content is reported/feedback Including, the MAC address of the member AP, whether there is buffered multicast data, and whether it is attached to the AP MLD. If it is attached to an AP MLD, report the MAC address of the AP MLD; it can also be a group head. After setting up a member AP, the member AP periodically reports business information to the group head AP/advertising AP. The content reported at this time includes the MAC address of the member AP, whether there is buffered multicast data, and whether it is attached to the AP MLD. If it is attached to an AP MLD, it reports the MAC address of the AP MLD. Compared with the sharing method using Beacon, coordination sharing information is faster and more efficient.

During the above service information sharing, if the group head AP or advertising AP receives the data pending instruction transfer information of the relevant access point, it updates the service instruction content of the corresponding AP and AP MLD in its own DTIM. If a new beacon (DTIM) suddenly appears at this time, for example, when the DTIM of other APs is heard by the terminal associated with the current AP, the terminal reports the DTIM to the currently associated AP and updates the corresponding AP information.

When sharing the above service information, the sharing scope of the service information is as follows: when traffic information is shared between the MLD/AP of the C-AP group and DTIM is sent for multicast service indication through the designated C-AP group member AP, also That is, when the DTIM transmitted by the designated member AP only contains the multicast service indication of the member AP in the C-AP group, the designated AP can be designated by the group head AP. When traffic information is shared between member AP MLDs and non-member AP MLDs of the C-AP group, or between member APs affiliated with the AP MLD and non-member APs affiliated with the AP MLD, the traffic information is advertised through the designated AP. The DTIM outgoing from the designated AP contains the multicast service indications of all APs affiliated with the AP MLD, and the designated AP is a C-AP group member. In some cases, the AP may not be a C-AP groupmember. In the same way, the designated AP can be designated by the group head AP. At this time, the multicast information sent by the C-AP group head includes the service information of all C-AP member APs, as well as the multicast service information of other affiliated APs of the AP MLD to which these APs are affiliated.

If each attached AP in each AP MLD transmits its own multicast management frame independently. This will have a great impact on reliability, especially when the link condition is poor. An improvement method will be described in an example below. After the master access point is elected, after receiving the multicast management frame assistance transmission request from the slave access point, if the situation shown in Figure 5 occurs, Figure 5 The dotted box in the middle represents the MLD and its affiliated APs, and the bidirectional arrows represent the communication path of the multicast frame. That is, the affiliated AP of an AP MLD belongs to the C-AP group, so select some from the access points in the multi-AP cooperation group. The access point becomes an assisting access point, transmitting management frames with the help of other APs in the C-AP group. Therefore, within the C-AP group, management frames are transmitted across APs/MLDs, increasing reliability.

The condition that triggers collaborative transmission of multi-AP management frames may be whether the service QoS involved in the management frame is a low-latency, high-reliability service. For example, the factory IIOT scenario requires transmitting specific data information at a specific time, so it has high requirements on latency and reliability. In this case, it is necessary to use the member APs in the C-AP to jointly transmit management frames.

As shown in Figure 5, a circular dotted box is used to indicate that the internal access point and MLD are in the same multi-AP cooperation group. When access point 1 wants to transmit multicast management frames to some terminals, due to business needs, it is necessary to Other nodes in the C-AP group work together to transmit the management frame. The process of determining the cooperating AP of the multicast management frame is shown in Figure 6. Step 1) is triggered by access point 1. The triggering reason may be factors such as service priority requirements. In step 1), access point 1 sends a multicast management frame cooperative transmission request (R-TWT coordination request) to access point 3 (the master access point). The multicast management frame cooperative transmission request contains the multicast traffic volume. , delay requirements, transmission time, cooperative AP and other parameters. When access point AP3 receives the request, it will determine the cooperating AP members. For example, by querying the access point AP2, the parameters in the multicast management frame cooperative transmission request are transmitted to the access point AP2 through step 2). Afterwards, if the access point AP2 supports these parameters, it will send a positive multicast management frame cooperative transmission response to the master access point through step 3). Afterwards, the master access point sends this affirmative response to the access point AP1 in step 4), and the response also contains the MAC address of the access point AP2. Then in step 5), the access point AP1 sends the multicast management frame buffered by the access point AP1 to the access point AP3 in preparation for cooperative transmission at the specified time.

Since Wi-Fi 8 needs to improve the throughput of edge users, it is important to ensure coverage in the context of multiple C-APs. Therefore, in one example, an AP with better coverage/larger coverage is selected to cooperatively transmit management frames, such as an access point working at 2.4GHz.

The following will give another example of cooperative transmission of multicast frames. In this example, the structural diagram is still as shown in Figure 5, but the access point AP1 does not apply for another access point to cooperatively send multicast management frames. Ask another member access point of the C-AP group to send and receive multicast management frames on behalf of AP1. This situation is that the current (time-frequency) resources of AP1 scheduled to send multicast management frames are preempted by higher-priority services. The original multicast management frame cannot be delayed or discarded, so other APs are requested to send it instead. This situation can be represented by 1 bit (1 indicates normal cooperation request, 0 indicates substitute transmission request), and is included in the multicast management frame cooperation request. The process is similar to Figure 6 and will not be described again. The alternative transmission configuration process can occur before the multicast management frame is transmitted, which is preventive in nature; or after the multicast management frame is preempted, which is remedial in nature.

It is worth noting that after the time-frequency resources of certain high-priority data frames or multicast data frames are preempted, a method similar to the working mechanism in Figure 6 can be used to set other APs in advance to replace transmission at the scheduled time, or For remedial purposes, please use other alternative transmissions. The configuration process is similar and will not be described again.

In the above example, Figure 5 is used as an example of the C-AP composition structure, but in fact, AP1 and AP2 can also belong to the same or different AP MLDs.

The terminal can filter certain protocol data units (MPDUs). In the case of C-AP group multicast, the behavior of the terminal needs to be redesigned. Next, various improvements and impacts of this application on the terminal will be discussed. In an example, the handling method of each situation will be discussed on a case-by-case basis. details as follows:

When the terminal has the ability to support C-AP and is connected to a C-AP group, the terminal filters out the corresponding protocol data unit (MPDU) through the SA field. That is, "A non-AP MLD shall filter out the group addressed MPDU with the SA field set to the MLD MAC address of the C-APgroup head." This situation has been discussed when setting the MAC address above and will not be repeated here. .

When an AP can connect to multiple C-AP groups, and when the terminal has C-AP capabilities and has been connected to a certain C-AP group. The terminal processes the received group addressed MPDU (the protocol data unit corresponding to the connected C-AP group) through the C-AP group ID (if any) that was obtained previously or contained in the latest DTIM. The processing method includes: Filter, receive, or discard.

When the terminal is not connected to the corresponding C-AP group, even if it detects the C-AP group identification/ID, or cannot recognize the identification, or detects the MAC address of the SA/TA address as the C-AP group head, it will discard the Multicast frame, or filter out the multicast frame (or group addressed MPDU).

When the C-AP element is transmitted simultaneously in DTIM, the terminal decides whether to filter or discard the group addressed MPDU based on its own capabilities and the settings in the C-AP element. For example, this C-AP element indicates that the current AP is already a C-AP group member (it was not before). At this time, if the terminal has C-AP capability, the terminal receives or filters the multicast frame; otherwise, it does not receive the multicast frame.

This embodiment is applied to a multi-AP cooperation group. The multi-AP cooperation group includes at least one multi-connection device or an AP attached to the multi-connection device as an access point in the multi-AP cooperation group, and the multi-AP cooperation group Except for the master access point, all the access points in the group are slave access points. In the embodiment of the present invention, a service AP group is established; reselection signaling is sent to the slave access point for the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling. The access point joins the service AP group. By establishing a business group, signaling is sent by the master access point through the business AP group, so that all access points in the group can communicate and collaborate normally based on the signaling, and the slave access points can be added to realize multi-AP Select the access point within the collaboration group.

The division of steps in the above method is only for the purpose of clear description. During implementation, it can be combined into one step or some steps can be split into multiple steps. As long as they include the same logical relationship, they are all within the scope of protection of this application; for Adding insignificant modifications or introducing insignificant designs to the algorithm or process, but not changing the core design of the algorithm and process, are within the scope of protection of this application.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to an electronic device, as shown in Figure 7, including at least one processor 701; and a memory 702 communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory 702 stores information that can be processed by at least one The instructions executed by the processor 701 are executed by at least one processor 701, so that the at least one processor 701 can execute the cooperative multicast method as described above.

The memory 702 and the processor 701 are connected using a bus. The bus may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges. The bus connects various circuits of one or more processors 701 and the memory 702 together. The bus may also connect various other circuits together such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are all well known in the art and therefore will not be described further herein. The bus interface provides the interface between the bus and the transceiver. A transceiver may be one element or may be multiple elements, such as multiple receivers and transmitters, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium. The data processed by the processor 701 is transmitted on the wireless medium through the antenna. Further, the antenna also receives the data and transmits the data to the processor 701 .

Processor 701 is responsible for managing the bus and general processing, and can also provide various functions, including timing, peripheral interfaces, voltage regulation, power management, and other control functions. The memory 702 may be used to store data used by the processor 701 when performing operations.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. The above method embodiments are implemented when the computer program is executed by the processor.

That is, those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps in the methods of the above embodiments can be completed by instructing relevant hardware through a program. The program is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a device ( It may be a microcontroller, chip, etc.) or a processor (processor) that executes all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage media include: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program code.

Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that the above-mentioned embodiments are specific examples for realizing the present invention, and in practical applications, various changes can be made in form and details without departing from the spirit and spirit of the present invention. scope.

Claims (9)

1. A cooperative multicast method, characterized in that it is applied to the master access point in a multi-AP cooperation group, and the multi-AP cooperation group includes at least one multi-connection device or one attached to the multi-connection device. The AP serves as an access point in the multi-AP collaboration group, and all the multi-AP collaboration groups except the master access point are slave access points. The method includes: Establish a business AP group; Send reselection signaling to the slave access point so that the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling joins the service AP group; Wherein, only the access points that join the service AP group can process the services corresponding to the service AP group; Wherein, establishing a service AP group includes: after receiving trigger signaling from any slave access point, sending response signaling corresponding to the trigger signaling to the slave access point, and Establish the service AP group according to the trigger parameter information carried in the trigger signaling, or, When any of the slave access points needs to establish the service AP group through unsolicited monitoring, a response signaling is sent to the slave access point, and the service is established based on the pre-stored trigger parameter information. AP group. 2. The cooperative multicast method according to claim 1, characterized in that reselection signaling is sent to the slave access point for the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling to join. The service AP group includes: The reselection signaling is sent to all the slave access points by broadcasting. The slave access point that receives the reselection signaling confirms that its relevant parameter information meets the requirements to join the service AP group. After meeting the conditions, join the service AP group, or, According to the stored relevant parameter information of all slave access points, the slave access points that meet the conditions for joining the service AP group are confirmed, and the slave access points that meet the conditions for joining the service AP group are The entry point sends the reselection signaling so that the slave access point that receives the reselection signaling directly joins the service AP group; Among them, the conditions for joining the service AP group will be formulated according to business needs, and business needs include one of the following or any combination thereof: The required AP idleness level, the required AP support for service QoS, and the required queue size in the AP buffer. 3. The cooperative multicast method according to claim 2, characterized in that the stored relevant parameter information of all slave access points will be updated by periodic reporting by the slave access points; The relevant parameter information at least includes: whether to be attached to the multi-connection device, the MAC address of the multi-connection device when attached to the multi-connection device, the queue size in the current AP buffer, and the current AP idleness level. 4. The cooperative multicast method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the service AP group has a life span. When the service corresponding to the service AP group ends, or the service AP When the access points in the group receive the disband command, they disband the service AP group. 5. The cooperative multicast method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further includes: Before establishing the service AP group, generate a service AP group ID corresponding to the service AP group as an identifier of the service AP group for storage by the slave access point in the service AP group; Save the service AP group ID locally; Wherein, when the slave access point in the service AP group is also an AP attached to the multi-connection device, the service AP group ID will be saved in the corresponding multi-connection device. 6. The cooperative multicast method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further includes: After receiving the multicast management frame assistance transmission request from the AP attached to the multi-connection device, select some access points from the access points in the multi-AP cooperation group to become assisting access points. The access point will assist the AP that issued the multicast management frame assistance transmission request to transmit the multicast management frame. 7. The cooperative multicast method according to claim 1, characterized in that the source address of the multi-connection device is set to the MAC address of the master access point; When the terminal associated with the AP attached to the multi-connection device receives a multicast frame whose source address is the MAC address of the master access point within a preset time, and the terminal itself has When the terminal has the capability and has been associated with the multi-AP cooperation group, the terminal filters out the corresponding MPDU from the received multicast frame; otherwise, the terminal discards the multicast frame. 8. An electronic device, characterized in that it includes: at least one processor; and, a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; Wherein, the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, so that the at least one processor can execute any one of claims 1 to 7. The cooperative multicast method. 9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that when the computer program is executed by a processor, the cooperative multicast method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.